Coffee, Coffee!

If I can't take my coffee break,
Gone is the sense of enterprise
All gone, and something within me dies. 

"Coffee Break" - How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

 I want to tell you about my love of coffee. I used to think it was gross. Bitter, nasty, disgusting. I couldn't understand how my dad could drink it every day. I swore that I would never like it...never even drink the stuff! I would get my caffeine from soda, thank you very much. Sweet, refreshing, bubbly soda. None of that dark, bitter sludge.

I can't tell you when exactly this started to change. But sometime in college. I became a bit more educated in what exactly was in soda, and how bad it was for you. So I pretty much stopped drinking it. I'll have some every once in a while now, but generally the thought of it makes me a little queasy. I can feel my teeth enamel eroding and my stomach sizzling with acid as the sugary syrup streams out of the straw.

And suddenly coffee didn't seem so bad. With enough sugar and cream it was even tolerable. And before long, it became more than tolerable; it was desirable. I enjoyed drinking it. After that first sip, you barely even taste the bitterness. It gives me the energy to get through the day with a smile on my face and a skip in my step. It helped me clear my head at 11 p.m. as I started a 10-page paper due the next morning (okay, so I was never actually that bad...but I did have some procrastination issues). And so, against my strongest childhood assertions, I became a coffee-drinker.

And then I started working at the cafe. And I discovered a whole new side to coffee. There is a sense of power and altruism in knowing that I can prepare the perfect drink to get someone through a long day. I can make something that will cheer them up or meet a need. I don't even really need to think while I work. Muscle memory is a great thing. There isn't a 30-second period anywhere else in my life quite like the time it takes to steam milk for someone's afternoon latte. I can just stand there, knowing I'm making someone's day (and they're paying me to do it!). And I don't have to do anything else--I can't do anything else. I can't rush the steamer, and no one expects me to. They're willing to wait. Because they know it's worth it. They, too, have come to understand the power of coffee.

I wouldn't have it any other way.


(Check out my newest book post here.)